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Swann SWDVK-830008-US TruBlue Camera System Review

A Video Surveillance System That WILL Deter Troublemakers.

Some people might think of me as a bit of a “busy body” but that’s only because I’m constantly going on about how everyone should have a security system of some sort in their home or at their business premises.

Sure, we all check we’ve locked the house up properly before we leave. Some people even have locks or bars on their windows. You might even be thinking about installing an alarm system. However, when you think about it what’s the one common flaw in all of these added security measures? That’s right – you can’t SEE who managed to break your locks and windows or disable an alarm!

So in this review I’m going to let you in on some information about the Swann SWDVK-430004-US TruBlue video surveillance system. As you read on, this model might not tick all of the boxes for you but if you want added peace of mind without breaking the bank, I think this CCTV system is worth a look.

The DVR and Cameras

With this particular model from Swann you can either choose from 4 channels or an 8 channel system. For this review I’m going to deal with the 8 channel DVR with 8 cameras.

The DVR has been designed with “set it and forget it” in mind. This is why you get a hard drive that’s 1TB in size. This means you can leave your cameras recording continuously for up to 60 days without the need to clear any memory, perfect for those of you who are looking to protect a property that will be empty for a while when you’re going on vacation.

The cameras are small but mighty in my opinion. I like the fact that they’re small enough to be discreet but if placed correctly will give you a pretty good view of those hard to see places around the home. Remember, you have 8 to “play” with and they can be used indoors or outdoors.

Both day and night vision is available due to the LED technology used and unlike a lot of other systems in this price range you’ll be surprised at just how far you can see when it’s dark. The manufacturer does tell you the cameras will give good images up to 65 feet away, but this depends on how detailed an image you want.

These cameras are NOT HD so if you’re looking to be able to catch the license plate on a car as it whizzes out of a 50-60 foot driveway, this might not be the system for you. You also have to think about glare when you install the cameras however, one very nice touch is the fact that you can block certain parts of the screen so you don’t get reflection or (when in motion detection mode), you don’t end up recording a moving tree or bush.

Speaking of motion detection, this has been met with approving noises not just because you can save on memory space, but because the distance you can record is pretty good as well (up to about 60 feet).

What I will tell you about the DVR (and this is something that bothers some people, but not others) is that it can be a little on the noisy side so you might want to think about installing it in a place where this won’t bother you.

Installation

Again, I’m pretty impressed with this. Clearly the manufacturer has thought about the fact that the average person is likely to be interested in this type of CCTV system, because it’s very easy to install and set-up the cameras with the DVR. However, when it comes to making use of the remote viewing (more on that in a moment) you may want to ask someone who knows what they’re doing.

Put it this way, if you have no idea about IP addresses it’s time to find someone who does. Plus, this part of the manual really does show that a technician has written it. However the technical support from Swann is excellent so you can expect some expert back-up that way.

Remote Viewing

As with many CCTV systems these days, you have the option to set-up remote viewing, but what surprised me with this one is that you can use it with both 3G and 4G tablets or Smartphones (most only give the option for 3G).

Once set-up, if you’re using the motion detection option, you will receive email alerts to let you know when a camera has spotted something. When in continuous mode, you can keep an eye on what’s being recorded anytime you like.

Other Little Touches

Aside from everything I’ve already mentioned you can also easily locate an incident you’ve recorded and transfer it to an external storage device. What’s even better is this footage is timestamped so there really is no way out for the culprit.

You can view live footage from your own LCD screen using the VGA connection or on an HDTV via HDMI. All in all, if you’re looking to deter those would-be troublemakers, want peace of mind when you’re not at home and you’re not expecting HD quality this video surveillance system is worth further investigation.
If you’re interested in finding out more, I recommend you take a look at Amazon because they often have great discounts.

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